


A Fool By Any Other Name

by Osrio



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Adachibaby is innocent, Alternate Killer, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:34:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25852183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Osrio/pseuds/Osrio
Summary: When visiting your uncle and cousin, you generally don't expect to get involved in a serial murder case. That just didn't happen to most people. I, however, am not most people. (OC, Persona 4 retelling)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Welcome to Inaba

Fog.    
  
That was about all I could see in front of my face. Just this endless fog as far as the eye could comprehend. Well, I knew I was standing on a solid road at least, so that was a start. As far as I could tell, all of my limbs were intact too, so at least I wasn’t hurt.   
  
But… hold on, wasn’t I just in a train station?   
  
Suddenly, a glowing blue butterfly fluttered past my cheek, hovering right in front of me. I’ve… seen this butterfly before, at least I think I have. It looked both ethereal and solid at the same time, consisting of both dream and reality.    
  
But before I could reach out to the butterfly, the gentle sound of an engine reached my ears, followed by vision fading to black for a brief time.   
  
Suddenly my vision jerked itself back into action, but it wasn’t fog that awaited me, nor was the butterfly present. Instead, I was sitting in a rather comfortable car seat, no doubt made of the finest leather. To my left, I could see an open cabinet filled with a variety of drink bottles and wine glasses, alcoholic drinks if I had to wager, though it could have been fruit juice for all I knew.   
  
What was more pressing for me was the fact that I wasn’t alone here. Two people were sitting in front of a large blue table, though I couldn’t tell if they’d noticed my presence yet. The first person was an elderly looking man in a suit, slightly hunched over, his wispy white hair balding and his nose… sweet merciful Buddha, that fucking nose looked straight out of a Looney Tunes cartoon.   
  
Conversely, the woman to my right was a touch more normal looking, her hair impeccably wavy, her features almost befitting of a queen you’d see in medieval history, with the same type of regal aura.    
  
Suddenly, the man’s eyes opened, bloodshot and bulging, though not exactly aggressive. I’d say they gave off more of a curious vibe.    
  
“Welcome… to the Velvet Room,” the man said. His voice was fittingly whimsical and calm, his face raising up to reveal a cheshire grin.   
  
‘Velvet… Room?’ I thought, giving one more look to my surroundings, and nearly slapping myself for not realizing just how much was colored blue in this limo. How the shit did I not notice that? It was pretty relaxing though, like you could just take a nap here and go right into hibernation.    
  
“Ah… it seems we have a guest, with an intriguing destiny,” the man chuckled, his mouth not exactly moving. It was more like his teeth were welded shut, but could still communicate just fine regardless. “My name is Igor, I am delighted to make your acquaintance.”   
  
“R-Right, likewise,” I said shakily, a touch nervous. Then again, waking up in a random limo with two total strangers would put anyone on edge, yeah?    
  
Igor simply continued to smile, continuing his with his spiel. “This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a contract may enter.”

Wait, a contract? I don’t remember agreeing to anything, any signature you have is null and void damn it!   
  
“It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future…” Wait, so I haven’t signed any contract then? That was a relief, but Jesus, the longer I stayed with this “Igor”, the more I felt creeped out. It felt like he was amused by my mere existence. And I already had enough crap going on in my own life pal, I didn’t need some contract adding more to the pile.   
  
“Now then…” he continued. “Why don’t you introduce yourself?” A harmless request, though I still couldn’t help but feel unnerved around Igor. He just… didn’t look right, at all. But it was probably better to keep him smiling, I’d hate to see what he’d look like with a frown.   
  
“It’s… Nathaniel,” I said, fighting down the knot that had formed in my stomach. “Nathaniel Evans.”   
  
Igor nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Hmm… I see. Now then, let’s take a look at your future, shall we?”   
  
Before I could even begin to question how he could do that, Igor waved his hand over the table in front of him, and as if on cue, a deck of cards materialized from nothing. Turning back to me, Igor continued to smile. “Do you believe in fortune telling? Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different.” He chuckled a bit. “Life itself follows the same principles, doesn’t it?”   
  
And so the reading began, and with one gesture, a card flipped. From my point of view, the way Igor furrowed his eyebrows didn’t necessarily indicate anything good.   
  
“Hmm… the Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent.”    
  
I had to admit, having the first part of my reading fortelling catastrophe wasn’t exactly inspiring me with confidence.   
  
“The card indicating the future beyond that is…” Another flip, another card I couldn’t see. “The moon in the upright position. This card represents hesitation and mystery. Very interesting indeed...”    
  
I could certainly describe this entire experience thus far as “interesting”, among other adjectives. But at least we weren’t dealing with a double dose of catastrophe. I couldn’t help but shift a little in my seat as Igor’s face rose to face me once more.   
  
“It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you.   
  
Okay dude, you said something about an outright catastrophe before, and now you’re just saying a misfortune? Just what the heck was going on?   
  
“In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost.” Said with all the mysticism and airiness I had come to expect so far.    
  
I cough a bit, trying to find the proper words to use. “Hold on, this contract you’re talking about,” I began. “Do I have to sign something literally?”   
  
Igor simply shook his head, his smile never wavering. “Not at all. It is merely an unwritten promise that you will abide by your actions and assume responsibility for all decisions you may make during your journey.”   
  
Suddenly, the long nosed elder’s eyes widened, as if realizing he had forgotten something. “Ah! But where are my manners? I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you.” Turning to the woman next to him, Igor continued. “This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself.”   
  
The silent, regal woman that I had noticed from before turned to face me, her piercing yellow eyes betraying not even a single hint of emotion. “My name is Margaret,” she began. “I am here to accompany you through your journey.” And with that, she fell silent once more.    
  
“We shall attend to the details another time,” Igor said. “Until then… farewell.”   
  
There was a whole lot more I needed to ask this long-nosed… thing. Like what kind of misfortune was coming my way, why did he choose me for this journey, and so much more. But I couldn’t find the strength to speak. In fact, the scene before me was growing darker and darker still. And then, silence.

* * *

_  
  
“I’m tired of diets and going to the gym! Good thing there’s something even I can handle!” _   
  
I suddenly find myself jumping back into consciousness from the sudden interruption of a rather loud TV ad from above. Was I dreaming? No… no that felt way too real to just be a dream, unless it was one of those lucid dreams. I groaned audibly, rubbing my face. Clearly a nonstop plane and two trains were taking their toll on me. God please let this be the last train…   
  
“And we’re back, now onto some juicy news, namely the Mayumi Yamano scandal,” I hear a newscaster, replacing the chipper ad from earlier. Wasn’t exactly “news”, however, considering how often I’ve heard about it so far. A politician in a relationship with an enka singer cheats on her with a TV announcer. Honestly seemed tame as far as scandals went. And it seemed like everyone understood what was going on.    
  
I could hear a young man scoff next to me. “First he bags a singer, then he has an affair with a TV announcer on the side, do chicks really dig politicians?”    
  
“Isn’t it about stuff like money and connections?” I hear a woman next to him muse. “When you get down to it, wealth and political clout is what matters.”   
  
The train arriving on my line alerted me, slinging my bag over my shoulder as I stood up. “Geez…” I mumble under my breath in English. “It’s easy to speculate and gossip when you’re not personally involved, huh?”   
  
I hurried onto the train, taking my seat. Finally, in a few hours, I’d be in mom’s old hometown.   
  
Yasoinaba, here we come.   


* * *

  
Right, don’t think I’ve had a chance to explain what’s going on, huh? Well, introductions first, I’m Nathaniel Evans, half Japanese, half American. My mom was born and raised in good ol’ countryside Inaba, Japan, a sleepy town according to her, and for what was going on in my family, the perfect place to get away from all the drama.   
  
My folks haven’t exactly been… happy for the last few years of their marriage, and after my sophomore year of high school, things just ended up coming to a decisive head when my dad filed for divorce. I didn’t exactly get all the details, every time I heard an argument start up, I’d run straight to my room and try to tune everything out with video games or music. Sometimes they’d argue outside of my door and my attempts at shutting them out were null and void.   
  
My mom argued that I’d be better off staying with my uncle and cousin in Japan for the foreseeable future, but I just took it as her wanting to be alone after all of the fighting. I was of two minds on the whole idea, but I decided that Japan would be a nice change of pace from Florida anyway, and I just really needed to be away from my mom and dad for the time being.    
  
I was a little nervous though about the choice of school, Yasogami High, a Japanese language school primarily. My Japanese was pretty good, courtesy of my mom and all, but it was going to be an entirely different ballpark from America, according to my mom. Definitely more of an emphasis on studying for sure.    
  
Though that’d come later, for now I was fighting to make sure I didn’t pass out on the train, I really didn’t want to miss my stop and inconvenience my uncle. Pretty sure it’d piss mom off too. 

Most of the train conversation had been taken up by idle chatter, namely on the scandal that was shown on TV earlier. Jeez, even in the countryside I couldn’t get away from this crap. Just absurd rumor after absurd rumor, like it was these people’s jobs to go around speculating on love lives. It was ear grating, and it was making me curse myself for not packing any earbuds for the ride. Hopefully Inaba had a place where I could grab a pair. 

Suddenly, a vibration from my pocket causes me to stir. It was a text from my uncle.   
  
“Meet us at Yasoinaba Station at 4PM” it read. So I guess I was gonna meet my cousin too. Now that I think about it, mom always said that my uncle was too busy to make a full trip to the US to visit, aside from when I was still a baby. Checking the clock, it looked like it was 2:35. Still a bit of a ways there, but the end was in sight.    
  
“Gotcha,” I text back, hitting the send button. It was so tempting to take a nap, but I had to resist, I could afford to miss my stop. I’d have to wait until I was finally at my uncle’s.    
  
So, while I waited, I thought back to that whole Velvet Room thing. That felt way too real to simply be a dream, it was way too lucid. But then how did I go from a limo all the way back to the train station? Was I really just that tired? Gah, too many questions, not enough answers. Maybe the jet lag was finally kicking me in the crotch and I was just daydreaming something fierce.   
  
I mean, come on, when was fortune telling real to begin with?

* * *

  
_ “Yasoinaba. Yasoinaba.” _   
  
I quickly sat up, realizing that this was my stop. I scoop up my belongings, heading to the door and waiting for the train to come to a complete stop as the doors swing right open, a gateway to an entirely different world laid right before me.    
  
“Okay… showtime,” I nodded, taking the first steps off the train and finally being able to breathe again.   
  
My first impressions of Inaba were a touch humid, though not nearly as bad as Miami. Pretty sure this was the mid 60’s, so just about the middle of spring. Looking up, I could see several dark clouds hovering just over the horizon. Rain was on its way, that much I could tell. Aside from that though… I was feeling something odd about this place, something nostalgic. But that couldn’t be the case, I had only just arrived. Maybe that was just what a sleepy country town was supposed to do to ya?   
  
I checked my watch, only to realize that my train was about fifteen minutes late. Crap.   
  
“Hey, over here!”   
  
I looked over in the direction of the voice calling out, only to find myself looking at roughly who my mom told me to expect. He was about my height from what I could tell, middle-aged, short dark-grey hair, and slung over his shoulder was a grey jacket. Yup, that seemed about right for what my mom told me to expect. He smiled as I approached, offering a handshake that I returned in full.    
  
“Well, you’re more handsome in person than you are in the photo,” he chuckled. “Welcome to Inaba, Nathan. I’m Ryotaro Dojima, I’ll be looking after you.” He rubbed his index finger and thumb against his chin, thinking thoughtfully on how to answer next. “Let’s see… I’m your mother’s younger brother and that about sums it up.”    
  
“It’s nice to finally meet you, uncle,” I smile politely, though still feeling a bit nervous about the whole arrangement.    
  
“Heh, we’ve actually met before you know. You probably don’t remember, but I was the guy teaching your dad how to change a diaper,” Dojima laughed, though a bit more forcefully. Clearly not a fun experience for him.    
  
Stepping to the side, Dojima revealed the small girl standing right behind him. “This here’s my daughter. Go on, Nanako, introduce yourself to your cousin,” he smiled, though Nanako seemed about as uncomfortable as a young kid could be in this situation.    
  
Nanako squirmed a bit in place, struggling to meet my eyes before mumbling a small “...lo’,” scurrying to hide behind her father once more. Jeez, I wasn’t that scary, was I?   
  
Dojima seemed amused by his daughter’s bashfulness. “What’re you so shy for?” Nanako was not nearly as amused, giving the back of his father’s leg a smack as she fought to keep her gaze ground level. Dojima didn’t necessarily seem too bothered by it, simply shaking it off with another chuckle.    
  
“Well then, let’s get going,” Dojima nodded. “My car is over there,” he added, gesturing toward the four door sedan. Nanako was the first to hop in, and I nearly hopped into the driver’s seat after putting my bag into the trunk, before realizing that the passenger’s and driver’s seats were flipped outside the US.   
  
“Oops,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment.   
  
“Don’t think you’re quite ready for the driver’s seat yet, Nathan,” Dojima laughed. Suddenly I felt slightly more sympathetic for Nanako giving her father’s leg a little smack.   


* * *

The Inaba Shopping District certainly felt a bit smaller than I would have imagined. There were some shops open for sure, but our destination was more humble. The Moel gas station. Dojima just needed to fill his sedan’s tank and Nanako needed to use the bathroom, stat.    
  
Nanako was the first to hop out, nearly running into a gas station attendant that had come out to greet us.    
  
“It’s in the back on your left. You know which way’s left? The side you don’t hold your chopsticks in,” he joked.    
  
“I know… geez…” Nanako mumbled, fuming just a tiny bit as she rushed inside the station.    
  
I stepped outside the car myself, taking a moment to stretch my legs. It wasn’t that the car was cramped, it was more like I was fighting to keep myself awake from the constant traveling.    
  
Noticing me, the attendant tilted his head. “Are you all taking a trip?”   
  
Dojima shook his head. “No, we just came to pick him up. He just moved here from the United States.”   
  
The attendant’s eyes practically bulged in surprise, I was almost reminded of that “Igor” fellow. “All the way from the U.S, eh?”   
  
“Could you fill up my tank while you’re at it?” Dojima added. “Regular’s fine.”   
  
“Right away, sir!” the attendant nodded, grabbing a nearby pump and heading to the other side of the car.    
  
“Good time as any for a smoke…” Dojima mumbled, grabbing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket before wandering off to the other side of the street, away from all of the petrol and gas.   
  
“So… let me guess…” the attendant said as he filled up Dojima’s car. “You’re a high school student, yeah?”   


I blinked and nodded. “Pretty good for just a guess, but yeah, I’ll be going to Yasogami High this year.”   
  
The odd young man chuckled. “It’s pretty surprising to see how little there is to do out here, huh? Take my advice, get something to do outside of just school and studying. There’s so little to do out here that you’ll either be hanging out with friends or working part time jobs.”   
  
Looking from side to side, as if about to say something forbidden, the attendant began speaking in a more hushed tone. “We’re actually looking for part time help right now, if you’re ever curious or have the time.”   
  
I raised an eyebrow. I remember mom saying something about certain schools not allowing students to work part time, something about focusing on their studies, or something along that line.    
  
“It’s no problem if I’m a student?” I ask. The attendant just shook his head, removing the gas pump from Dojima’s vehicle.    
  
“Not at all. Yasogami High is actually pretty encouraging when it comes to part time jobs, so need to worry about that.” Checking the sky, the attendant frowned a bit. “Ah crap. Gotta get as much done as I can before this rain starts.”   
  
He turned to me, an outstretched hand greeting me. “Give it some thought at least, we’d be glad to have ya!” Jeez, everyone seemed friendly here, it was almost infectious. Not really seeing any need to not accept, I return the handshake, giving the attendant a smile.   
  
“Welp, back to work I go. Good luck!” he said, heading off to the back of the store to do something related to work, I guess. But around the moment I let go of his hand, I began to feel strange, light-headed actually, I used the sedan as support to make sure I didn’t collapse. Something wasn’t right at all.   
  
“Are you okay?”   
  
I turned on a dime, and there was Nanako, no doubt having finished using the restroom. She tilted her head slightly, a look of concern flashed across her features. “Did you get carsick? You don’t look so good…”   
  
I shook my head, giving her a small smile. “I’ll be fine, jetlag and train fatigue just really hitting me hard is all.” Nanako didn’t look entirely convinced, but she didn’t question me any further. Soon enough, Dojima walked back to us and soon enough we were off. He looked a bit concerned too, but like with Nanako, I just brushed it off as jetlag.   


* * *

First impression of the Dojima residence? Homey. I mean, that probably went without saying, but I was surprised by how comfortable I really felt, considering this was my first time here. It wasn’t too big, but not too small either. It felt just right for three people.    
  
Sitting cross legged at the table, I was soon greeted with some microwaved dinners and a cold glass of water, to help with my dizziness. Now that I was thankful for, I still felt my head swimming a bit in the mire that was my migraine.   
  
“Alright,” Dojima said, taking a seat and opening the canned drink in his hands. “Let’s have a toast.”   
  
Raising his glass, me and Nanako followed suit with our own drinks, me taking a small sip of my water as I set the glass down.   
  
“You know, Nathan, I’m kinda surprised,” Dojima said. “I wasn’t expecting your Japanese to be quite this good, considering you were born and raised in America.”   
  
I shrugged. “You can thank my mom for that. She taught me how to read and speak Japanese pretty well, and I just ended up taking to it pretty well. So it’s almost like a second language at this point. Though I do sometimes have trouble reading some signs,” I admit, chuckling at my own expense. “Hopefully I won’t get lost here.”   
  
Dojima smiled. “I think you’ll be fine once you get settled in. Inaba’s not a big town, and the nearest city, Okina, is a train or a bus away, so the area’s pretty compact as far as country towns go.”    
  
“That’s roughly what mom told me, yeah,” I nodded. “She said something about everything and everyone being exactly where you needed them, or something like that.”   
  
“Yeah, that definitely sounds like Ami alright.” Dojima’s gaze suddenly turned downward, as if realizing he had stumbled onto the elephant in the room. He turned to me, a more serious look in his eyes. “Look, Nathan, about what’s going on with your mom and dad, I’m sorry. Kids like you shouldn’t have to go through messy situations like this, it’s not fair.”   
  
Now I was the one looking downward, unable to meet Dojima’s gaze. That’s… definitely the last thing I needed to be hearing. Even if Dojima meant well, it wasn’t a subject I wasn’t exactly comfortable with talking about.   
  
“But, I do want to say this. So long as you’re here, you’re a part of the family. So make yourself at home, and try to get your mind off it if you can.”    
I try giving my best smile, nodding to Dojima. “I really do appreciate everything you’re doing for me, uncle. Seriously, thank you.”   
  
“Don’t mention it, Nathan,” Dojima smiled back. “Now then, let’s ea-”   
  
At that moment, a phone began to go off, and if his face was anything to go by, it was Dojima’s. “Ugh…” His usually friendly face was replaced with a scowl. “Who’s calling at this hour?” Reaching into his pants pocket, Dojima flipped the phone open, hitting the answer button. “Dojima speaking.”   
  
Evidently, whoever was on the line didn’t have any good news. Dojima’s scowl only deepened. “Yeah? I see…” he said. “So, where is it?”   
  
Another pause, followed by a rather dejected sigh. “Alright, I’m on my way.” With that, Dojima ended the call, tucking his phone back into his pocket. “Looks I picked the right time to skip the booze…” he muttered before turning back to me and Nanako. “Sorry, but I gotta go take care of some business, go ahead and eat without me.”   
  
Grabbing his coat, Dojima turned to Nanako. “I dunno how late I’ll be, so can you help him out, Nanako?”   
  
Nanako nodded, her voice practically oozing some form of disappointment. “Okay…”    
  
With that, Dojima turned around once more, slipping on his coat and heading out into the rain, before stepping back into the house, his voice a bit raised due to the downpour. “Nanako, it’s raining out, what did you do with the laundry?   
  
“I already brought it in!” she answered, causing me to raise an eyebrow. She does the laundry? What exactly did Dojima do for a living that had his daughter doing basic household chores when he went out?   
  
“Alright, well I’m off!” And with that, Dojima drove off, to whatever he was called for.    
  
As Nanako changed the channel to the news, more rain for tomorrow it seemed, I felt the need to strike up a conversation with the depressed looking girl. “So… uh, your dad’s job keeps him busy?”   
  
Nanako turned to me and nodded. “Yeah, he… investigates things.” Her voice was still shaky, clearly uncomfortable with having who she perceived as a total stranger in the house.   
  
“Oh, so he’s a police officer?” I guess, causing Nanako to nod.   
  
“Sort of. My dad’s a detective,” she said. And with that, her eyes were glued back to the TV. More news on the Mayumi Yamano scandal had replaced the weather forecast, causing me to mentally groan. Seriously, I hated how the news kept milking a single story to death and back, clearly something that Japan and America had in common.    
  
“This is boring.” Nanako, you had no idea how badly I resonated with that statement. Clicking a button on the remote, the channel now changed to that of a TV ad for something called… Junes?   
  
“At Junes, everyday is Customer Appreciation Day! Come see for yourself, and get in touch with our products!” Ohhh… so it was like a grocery store, I think. I could see shelves of various products stocked on the screen, not unlike how Wal-Mart did things back home. “Everyday’s great at your Ju~nes~!” The ad rang cheerfully, causing Nanako to actually smile for once in the small amount of time since I’ve known her.   
  
“Everyday’s great at your Ju~nes~” Nanako cheerfully sang back, swaying a bit in her seat. I actually froze for a moment, the sheer wholesomeness of this scene was physically too much for my seventeen year old body to handle.    
  
Of course, Nanako caught me frozen and tilted her head quizzically. “Aren’t you going to eat?”   
  
I regain my senses in a flash, nervously beginning my meal. My cousin couldn’t possibly be this wholesome, could she?   


* * *

After dinner was done, I helped Nanako in washing the dishes before heading up to my room. It was a humble thing, boxes with my things strewn everywhere, complete with a desk for studying, a sofa for relaxing, a TV for watching and a futon. I had to admit, I wasn’t exactly familiar with sleeping in these things, but the tired, cranky yankee that dwelled within me demanded sleep, and so sleep would be granted.    
  
I hurried out of my casual clothes, and into some sleepwear. It was a simple white t-shirt with baggy blue pajama pants. For me, it was the ultimate in comfy sleeping. As I laid down in bed, I found my mind wandering. School would go just fine, right? This was a new beginning, an escape from all of the stupid drama that was consuming my family. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.   
  
Taking deep breaths, I try to let my mind wander to sleep, letting the raindrops outside drift my mind off to sleep. Enough of that, Nathan. Inaba was going to be different, it was going to better.   
  
I hoped.   


* * *

Of course I couldn’t get any fucking sleep. Of course the second I open my eyes, the fog is back. Why would anything turn out fine for me? I took a moment to try and observe as much of my surroundings as I could, but all I could make out was a brick road right in front of me. The only way was forward it seemed.   
  
“Follow the red brick road then?” I muse to myself, realizing I had something by my side. It was a katana, and unsheathing the blade from its resting place let me know straight away that this blade was expertly crafted, and further inspection near the hilt revealed that there was a small kanji symbol imprinted onto the blade.    
  
“Duality, eh?” My dreams were getting weirder and weirder, ever since I got into Japan. Without any other real option, I began moving forward through the fog, doing my best to keep on the path.   
  
**_“Do you… seek the truth?”_ ** A voice suddenly rang out. Their voice wasn’t exactly clear, almost like it was being jammed by something, but I could still mostly discern what they were saying.   
  
“I… uh, I guess?” I try to communicate, but get no answer. Great. I continued onward, my progress just a bit impeded by the heavy mist surrounding my vision, but I was slowly getting used to it.   
  
**_“If the truth is what you desire, seek me out…”_ ** Again with the freaking voice. I thought Igor and Margaret were creepy enough, but this? This took the cake. Eventually the path came to an end, right in front of a big, red and black door. With no other options, I tried touching it, only for the door to open up as easily as could be.   
  
What awaited me was a vast empty expense of fog, with only a singular figure for any kind of company. I couldn’t tell who or what they were, but I got a very… odd feeling from them. A feeling of sheer power.    
  
**_“So… you are the one who is pursuing me.”_ ** The being’s voice oozed confidence, I could practically feel them looking down on me like a lesser being. Driven by instinct, I drew the sword as a warning, which only served to amuse the being.    
  
**_“Hmhmhm… try all you like, you cannot catch me.”_ ** Driven by some foreign influence, I shot forward, eager to deliver a decisive stab into the thing’s chest. The blow barely registered however, as the being simply moved back.   
  
**_“Hmm… it seems you can see a little, despite the fog.”_ ** I couldn’t tell if it was praising me or mocking me, but I continued to hold my sword dearly, expecting for some kind of counterattack that never came.   
  
I was almost prepared to attack again, but something stopped me. There was… something in my chest that was worming about, thrashing like a wild animal, begging to be let loose. At that moment, I felt something materialize in my hand, and a quick glance revealed it to be a card. But the fog obscured anything beyond that. I had no idea what was going through my head that made me crush the card, but crush it I did, and something certainly came out of me. Something oozing with power.   
  
At that moment, another figure flew past me on a collision course with the first figure, this time armed with what seemed to be a double edged katana of sorts. The slash certainly had more impact than mine, and it seems even the figure agreed with me.   
  
**_“Indeed… you certainly possess an interesting quality.”_ **   
  
At that moment, the fog suddenly began to thicken, any sense of direction I had was lost, as well as where the figure’s position was currently. And as the fog thickened, I could feel my head begin to ache, seizing up with pain.   
  
**_“But you will not catch me so easily,”_ ** I heard the figure gloat. _**“If what you seek is the ‘truth’, then your search will be even harder.”**_ I could feel the figure I had summoned begin to slash his sword furiously, as if in a frenzy to rediscover its quarry. No such luck however.   
  
**_“Will we meet again? At a place other than here…?”_ ** That was it, my strength had given out, and I felt myself falling onto the floor, my body not even remotely responding. I felt like a puppet without its strings.   
  
_**“Hmhm… I look forward to it.”**_ And with that, I heard the voice no more. But just as I was about to pass out, another figure came to me, and this time I could make out something, at least one tiny detail.   
  
A mask, with a blue butterfly painted on it.   
  
“I see. So you are the one.”   
  
And with that, I knew no more.


	2. Rainy Days and Corpses

It was a struggle to push myself out of bed, simply rolling out with a minor thud. My body felt heavy, sluggish, like I just ran a marathon. I quickly pushed myself up, sitting up on the floor of my room as I tried to decipher what in the hell just happened. First that “Velvet Room” dream, and then that weird figure and that card… just what in the hell was going on with me? Was I going insane?  
  
Apparently, I didn’t have too much time to dwell on the matter. I could hear small footsteps outside my door, followed by Nanako’s voice. “Breakfast’s ready.” Right… today was the first day of school, wasn’t it? Dojima mentioned in the car that all the paperwork was taken care of, all I had to do was show up in the uniform and we’d be golden.  
  
I slowly got up off the floor, and took a longer look around my room. I’d definitely have some work to do when I got home, I swear, mom sent me too much stuff to unpack. Had my Playstation, sets of clothes, books, etcetera etcetera. Speaking of clothes though, I had to get into my Yasogami uniform, ASAP. Took a minute to get the buttons on the shirt right, but soon enough, I looked fairly spiffy. My short, dirty blonde hair would probably stand out, along with my height, but other than that, I was looking like just another Japanese high school student.  
  
After some quick teeth brushing and hair combing, I hurried on down the stairs just in time for Nanako to set two breakfast plates on the table, both containing sunny-side up eggs and toast. Now there was an endearing classic breakfast if I ever saw one. I guess if Nanako could help with the laundry, she could make some basic breakfasts too. By and far the most independent eight year old I’ve ever met.  
  
“Good morning,” Nanako greeted me as she sat down.  
  
“Morning, Nanako,” I nodded, looking around in vain to find Dojima. “Guessing your dad had to leave early?”  
  
Nanako nodded. “There was some kind of trouble. He won’t be back…” There was that hint of sadness again. It was like Nanako had long since come to terms with her father’s busy life, but still felt ever so lonely. And here I thought mom worked long hours.  
  
“You’re starting school today, right?” Nanako asked, to which I nodded. “My school’s on the way, so… let’s go together.” She tried giving me a smile, but I could tell she was somewhat restless, though I couldn’t exactly pinpoint why.

* * *

It was for days like this that I thanked mankind for the invention that was the umbrella. Almost as soon as me and Nanako were set to leave for school, it started raining cats and dogs, earlier than the forecast said it would’ve started if I recall. Nanako explained that the fastest way to Yasogami High was via the Samegawa Flood Plain, and she was definitely spot on the money, for it wasn’t long until I started seeing other Yasogami students heading in the same direction as us.  
  
“You keep going straight through here,” Nanako directed me, pointing straight ahead. “My school’s the other way, bye!”  
  
As much as I was concerned for Nanako walking to school on her own in this rain, it seemed like, again, she was used to it. Pretty depressing, if I had to be honest. At the very least, she’d probably be fine heading to school on her own.  
  
With a wave and a smile, I saw Nanako walk off in the direction we came, before heading forward myself. As I walked, I could already feel some stares from the other students, hushed whispering and the like. But I could barely hear them over the rain. Just after walking past the flood plain though, I saw a student on a bicycle zip right past me, crashing right into a nearby telephone pole.  
  
My eyes widened as I hurried on over. “Dude, are you okay?” I asked, making sure I didn’t slip into English by accident.  
  
The student turned to face me, and I saw his spiky brown hair soaked by the rain, his face winced in pain as he held onto his groin for dear life. As a fellow man, I think I know exactly what happened, and I could already feel the pain from here.  
  
“I”m… I’ll be fine…” he groaned, clearly the furthest thing from fine. “It was my fault anyway, trying to use an umbrella and a bike at the same time…” A quick look to the right revealed said umbrella, surprising undamaged.  
  
“Yosuke-san? You alright?”  
  
I turned in the direction of the new voice, only to come face to face with yet another new face. His hair was short and brown, though shorter than mine and a lighter color than my own, a bit closer to whom I could only guess was “Yosuke.” The bandage across his nose and the blue PE uniform indicated he was probably a sporty guy, at least I assumed. Could’ve just been an odd fashion statement.  
  
I shrugged and gestured to him. “He’ll probably be fine, at least that’s what he said.”  
  
The student blinked once as his eyes turned to me. “Hold on, are you a new student? Jeez, you’re tall.”  
  
I nodded in response to his question, ignoring the jab about my height. I got a feeling that was gonna be a running thing. “Yeah, I’m a transfer student, I’ll be starting today, name’s Nathan Evans.”  
  
The newcomer blinked again, before looking at me like I had two heads. “Hold on, you’re a foreign exchange student? Jeez, couldn’t have just gone to someplace in Tokyo then, eh?”  
  
I shrugged. “It was the most convenient for my family, plus I have relatives here, so there’s that little benefit.”  
  
“That right?” he asked, before taking a look at his watch. “Oh crap, we better get going, or we’re gonna be late!” He nodded hastily before looking at the other student, who was still hunched over in pain. “See ya at school, Yosuke-san!”  
  
‘Yosuke’ simply groaned in response, struggling to reorient himself and grab his umbrella. I felt bad for the dude, but I had to hurry too. So, off we went, past some more houses until we were standing right at the gates in front of the school, the entrance to an entirely different type of school life was just around the corner. The school itself was about what I expected from outside, three floors, a lobby for changing your shoes, yet another little bit my mom told me about, and all of that stuff.  
  
“Just head for the faculty office on the first floor, they’ll tell ya where you are,” the bandaged student said, giving me a friendly smile. “Good luck to ya, new guy!” He quickly headed inside, unfolding his umbrella in the process.  
  
So… Yasogami High. Up till now, I only had experience with American school systems, so outside of what my mom told me, I had no idea what I was walking into, aside from a substantial amount of lectures. It was nerve wracking, but it wasn’t like I was getting stuck with a crappy teacher, right? So long as I studied hard, I could do this. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

* * *

“Awright, shut yer traps!”  
  
I stand corrected. I was stuck with probably the crappiest teacher I could’ve been stuck with.  
  
My trip to the faculty office allowed me to come face-to-face with my homeroom teacher, Kinshiro Morooka. To say that the man was shit at first impressions would be the understatement of the millennium. The man had his dark hair combed into a bob cut, his outfit consisting of a blue pinstripe suit and a yellow, checkerboard tie. But by far the biggest thing that stood out were his teeth. Literally. The man was seemingly waging a one man war against the entirety of the dental field, because his buck teeth had become something you’d have nightmares about.  
  
But looks could be deceiving, right? After all, you should never judge a book by it’s cover. Well don’t you worry, because within thirty seconds of me meeting him, Morooka looked at me like something he’d scrape off the bottom of his shoe. Something about having to babysit the foreign exchange student or what have you. Anything and everything you could say was like a kindling to this guy’s flaming contempt for everything around him.  
  
“I’m Kinshiro Morooka, your homeroom teacher from today forward!” he announced, keeping his hands in his pockets. “First things first! Just ‘cause it’s spring doesn’t mean you can swoon over each other like lovestruck baboons. Long as I’m around, you students are going to be as pure as the driven snow!”  
  
Oh dear lord, this was going to be my life for the next year, wasn’t it? I could actually feel my will to live slowly being snuffed out of existence, and five minutes hadn’t even passed. Congrats, sensei, you were setting some new records today!  
  
“Now I hate wasting my time, but I better introduce this transfer student,” Morooka said, jabbing his thumb in my direction. Oh goody, it was time to shine under the spotlight, was it? “Now before you start spreadin’ any rumors, yes, he’s a foreign exchange student from America. But he’s just as much of a loser here as he was back home, so you girls better not get any ideas about hitting on him!”  
  
...did he just call me a loser?  
  
“Tell em’ your name, kid, and make it quick.”  
  
Okay… calm down, Nate. Don’t give him a reason to give you detention, that’s clearly what this asshole wanted. Besides, I really didn’t need to explain to my uncle and my mom that I ended up pissing off my homeroom teacher on the first day of school. So, rather than confront Morooka, I simply cleared my throat, trying not to stumble over my words as nearly everyone in the class stared at me.  
  
“My name is Nathaniel Evans, or Nathan for short. Pleased to meet you all,” I said, giving everyone a small, awkward bow. I could hear a couple of people giggle but Morooka just sneered.  
  
“Alright, pick yer damn self up, now.” I obliged, though as I did so, I noticed a particularly stand out face among the crowd staring at me. Near snow-white skin, long black hair, a red cardigan for her uniform. I couldn’t exactly get a good look at her face but… jeez, what the heck was this knot in my stomach?  
  
“Wait just a damn minute, Evans, did I catch you leering at a girl already?!” Morooka bellowed as I shot up.  
  
Now that caught me off guard. “Wait, what? No, I was-!”  
  
“Now listen up!” Morooka cut me off, jabbing a bony finger in my face. “This town is miles away from your own country, in more ways than one! Frankly, I don’t give a rat’s ass how things work in America, you better not even think about getting involved with the girls here, let alone abusing them!”  
  
Abuse-?! Okay, what the fuck was this guy’s deal?! Seriously, not even an hour had passed by yet, and already my teacher thought I was gonna abuse the girls?! Seriously, who in a past life did I piss off to deserve this crap?  
  
“But what do I know? It’s not like the old days,” Morooka continued, turning to face the class this time. “Even here, kids grow up so damn fast. Every time I turn my back, you’re fooling around on those damn phones, checking your life-journals and your my-places…” His rant seemed like it had become less about me and more about how the current generation seemed to be favoring more technological pursuits. And it was no less ear-grating than before.  
  
“Excuse me!” went the voice of a girl raising her hand, her short hair bobbing as she straightened up a little. “Would it be okay for the transfer student to sit here?” she asked, gesturing toward the empty seat to her left.  
  
Evidently, God thought it prudent to cut me some slack for once.  
  
“Huh?” Morooka blinked. “Yeah, sure. You hear that, new kid? Your seat’s over there. So hurry up and sit down already!”  
  
Even when asking someone to sit down, the guy just had to be a colossal sack of shit. It was actually amazing, none of my teachers back home could even come close to the sheer amount of asshole that this guy was radiating with each passing moment.  
  
As I took my seat, the girl that bailed me out whispered right into my ear. “He’s the worst, huh?”  
  
“You… could certainly say that again,” I nodded. Talk about the understatement of the year.  
  
“Rotten luck for you to get stuck in this class,” she shrugged. “Well, we’ll just have to hang in there for a year.”  
  
At that moment, the class broke into a series of hushed whispers and gossip. Guess I certainly made a big splash, in more ways than one, though I personally would’ve preferred to keep my head down.  
  
“Jeez, first day in a new country, and he gets saddled with King Moron? I feel bad for the dude…” one student quipped.  
  
“Yeah, he won’t think twice about suspending you if you get on his bad side,” another student nodded. “Then again… we’re all in the same boat…”  
  
“Shut yer traps!” Morooka barked, silencing the class in an instant. “I’m taking roll, and I damn well expect you to respond in an orderly manner!”  
  
And so my new life began with quite the showy demonstration. Well, it could always be worse, I guess. And hey, maybe I could make friends based on our mutual hate for Morooka. It would be a great starting piece if nothing else.

* * *

At long last, the day had finally come to an end. Even Morooka looked pleased to be out of here and out of our hair, which was fine by me because having to be in the same room as this asshole any longer was going to be the end of me.  
  
“That’s all for today. Normal lectures will start tomorrow,” Morooka said curtly. Almost instantly, the classroom burst to life with discussions and idle chatter, probably about me or what’s been happening ever since break ended, stuff like that. In fact, I would prefer if the discussion was not centered around me. However, just as I was ready to get my things, the school intercom suddenly came to life.  
  
“Attention, all teachers. Please report immediately to the Faculty Office for a brief staff meeting. All students must return to their classrooms and are not to leave the school until further notice.”  
  
“Guh… you heard the announcement,” Morooka groaned. “Don’t go anywhere until you hear otherwise.”  
  
Great, so we had to stick around even longer? I had half a mind to just hurry on home so I could start actually unpacking, but with the way things were going, I’d be going on till midnight. The noise soon resumed after Morooka left the classroom, leaving me with just about nothing to do. Really wishing I brought a book with me.  
  
“Pst, hey new kid!”  
  
I paused and turned to my left in the direction of the voice, only to find the gym guy from this morning greeting me with a smile and a wave. “Talk about coincidence, eh? Looks like we’re both stuck with King Moron for this year.”  
  
“Oh hey, you’re that dude from this morning,” I said, pausing to remember if he told me his name. But I was drawing a big fat ol’ blank. “You’re… uh…”  
  
“Daisuke Nagase,” he said. “I’m a second year student, same as you. I was actually supposed to be in an entirely different class, but there was a last minute switch, so I ended up here.”  
  
“A brother in arms against Morooka’s tyranny then?” I joked, smiling. “Well, I do appreciate you helping me out this morning, thanks.”  
  
Daisuke smiled back. “Nah, it’s nothing, don’t worry about it. No one wants to be late on the first day after all.”  
  
Before we could talk any further, a certain noise could be heard blaring from outside. Police sirens to be exact. The sirens startled many of the students and caused others to hurry to the window to see what was going on.  
  
“The heck’s going on?” Daisuke asked, standing up to try and see what all the commotion was about.  
  
“Probably has something to do with what that announcement said,” I said. “This happens often in Inaba?”  
  
“Hell no, dude,” Daisuke shook his head. “I think I usually hear a police siren maybe once a year, tops. And even then, it usually doesn’t come with a school announcement.”  
  
So a sleepy town like this barely heard a police siren, and here they were, going off near the school zone. What the heck just happened? Wait… didn’t that Igor say something about a “catastrophe” heading my way? No, no way that was the case, right? It was just a dream, a really bad dream brought about by heavy amounts of jetlag and exhaustion, that was the only explanation that made sense. I tried standing up, to see if I could see what was going on myself, but between the other students crowding the window and the heavy fog outside, I couldn’t see jack.  
  
After a few minutes of sitting and waiting, the intercom burst back to life. Seemed like there was an update.  
  
“Attention, all students. There has been an incident inside the school district, and police officers have been dispatched around the School Zone. Please stay calm and try to contact your parents or guardians as soon as possible, and quickly leave the school grounds. Do not disturb the police officers, head directly home.”  
  
Yeah, good luck trying to contact my guardian. If something’s really happened, then he probably wasn’t gonna be home till the sun comes up. But now I really had to wonder, was this actually connected to that fortune Igor gave me? A misfortune at my destination, and then a great mystery…? Was this incident related to that? Wait, no! Bad Nate, bad! That was just a dream, it had to have been!  
  
“Incident?” Daisuke blinked. “What’s going on?”  
  
“Sounds to me like a big can of ‘none of our business’,” I said. “Personally, I don’t wanna get involved with the cops if I can help it, so I think I’m gonna head straight home.” I said, standing up and grabbing my bag.  
  
“Ditto for me, dude,” Daisuke nodded. “Was gonna wait for my friend to show up, but now I think I’m better off just calling him and seeing what’s up.”  
  
I tilted my head, about to ask who his friend was, but before I could speak, I heard two sets of footsteps approaching us. Turning around, I saw none other than the red cardigan girl and green jacket girl that bailed me out of a torture session from Morooka.  
  
“Hey, you’re… Nathan-kun, right?” The green jacket girl asked, to which I nodded. “Are you going home by yourself?”  
  
I shrugged. “That was the plan anyway.”  
  
“Well, why don’t you come with us?” she smiled. “Oh right, I nearly forgot, I’m Chie Satanoka! You do know I sit next to you, right?”  
  
“Don’t think I could ever forget anyone who saved my bacon from a sermon from ol’ buck tooth over there,” I said.  
  
Chie laughed and waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, don’t even worry about that! I wouldn’t wish a King Moron lecture on my worst enemy honestly.” She turned to gesture toward the long haired girl next to her. “Oh, and this is Yukiko Amagi.”  
  
Yukiko... Amagi, eh? Amagi… I swore that my mom talked about something relating to an Amagi something before I left, but frankly, the first day of school was putting a mental block on that kind of info. But now that I could actually get a look at her… jeez, keep it together, Nate, she’d probably think you’re a weirdo for staring at her.  
  
“O-Oh… hello there,” Yukiko bowed, her own nerves probably not faring much better, though I doubt that was because of any charming looks I might’ve had. Spoilers, I really doubt that was even remotely the case. “I’m sorry this is so sudden…”  
  
“C’mon, no need to apologize like that, Yukiko,” Chie said. “It makes me look like I have no upbringing. I just wanted to ask some stuff, really, that’s all.”  
  
Daisuke took this time to interject with a little joke. “What, so we’re turning this into an interrogation now?” he chuckled. “C’mon, the new guy just got here, probably doesn’t even have his bearings yet.”  
  
Chie blinked once until she realized just who was talking to her. “Oh right, Daisuke-kun! Talk about a small world, I thought you’d get the same class with Kou-kun again.”  
  
Daisuke shrugged. “You’d think so, but life happens. Speaking of Kou though, have you seen him at all, Chie?” She shook her head. “Yeah, I kinda figured… he told me he’d be here early to get stuff ready for the basketball team, but I guess either his phone is busted, or he’s sick, cause I can’t get a hold of him.”  
  
“So, I’m guessing this ‘Kou’ was the friend you were waiting for?” I asked.  
  
“Yup,” Daisuke nodded. “Kou Ichijo, dude’s been my best friend since we were kids. I play for the soccer team and he plays the basketball team.”  
  
Huh, called it on Daisuke being the sporty type after all. But man, soccer? Now that brings back some memories. It had been a while, but I still remember working my butt off when I was on a soccer team for middle school back home. It was a pain in the butt to learn at first, but I remember loving it, especially during the crisp, chillier falls. I wasn’t varsity or anything, but I had fun.  
  
In fact, I was about to ask Daisuke about the soccer team when someone else had entered the scene. “M-Miss Satonaka?” It was none other than the dude who crashed from this morning, Yosuke if I recall correctly. And Yosuke looked as if he were walking up to the executioner’s block with how terrified he looked.  
  
“This movie was… really awesome. Like, the way the actors moved was just amazing to see!” He shakily but quickly handed Chie a DVD case before bowing. “And… I’m really sorry, I crashed my bike, it was an accident, please just have mercy until my next paycheck!”  
  
Chie took the case with a confused look in her eyes as Yosuke began making a beeline straight for the door. “See ya, thanks!” he exclaimed. But Chie wasn’t about to let him get away that easily, it seemed, because she just leapt over a row of desks to cut him off.  
  
“Stop right there!” she exclaimed. “What did you do to my DVD?!” With that, I once again winced as I began subconsciously feeling Yosuke’s pain on an emotional level. Namely because Chie had decided that the best course of action was to kick the man in his crotch. Yosuke let out a sharp groan of pain as he slumped to the floor, clutching his poor groin yet again.  
  
Opening the DVD case, Chie let out a cry that could’ve been mistaken for finding out that someone had hurt her first-born child. “What the-?! I can’t believe this, it is completely cracked! My ‘Trial of the Dragon’...!” she bemoaned, completely ignoring the student she had attacked before she even learned of the DVD’s condition.  
  
“I think mine’s cracked too… critical hit to the nads…” Dude, seriously, I hadn’t even known the guy for a day yet and I could already tell that Yosuke was a pure misery magnet for just about anything that could go wrong.  
  
“Are… are you okay?” Yukiko asked nervously.  
  
“Dude, seriously, _are_ you okay?” I added, kneeling down to try and help him up. “After today, you should probably get a doctor or something, that can’t be good for you.”  
  
“He’s fine, you guys,” Chie scoffed. “Let’s just ditch him and go home.” And with that, she turned right around, marching out of the room in a huff. Yukiko spared one more passing glance of pity to Yosuke before following suit as me and Daisuke took a minute to make sure Yosuke was going to be okay.  
  
“Seriously, you gonna be fine to get home, Yosuke?” Daisuke asked. “You rode a bike here, didn’t you?”  
  
Yosuke just waved him off weakly, trying to give us a smile. “Don’t worry about me, you guys. I just need a few minutes… really…” He was trying to act strong, but I could tell this was gonna be hurting him for the rest of the day, easily. But if he said he was fine, he would be fine. Besides, I didn’t wanna keep Chie waiting. Lest I get a “Trial of the Dragon” treatment. 

* * *

After meeting up with Chie and Yukiko at the lockers and switching out our shoes, we made our way out in front of the school. Chie seemed prepared to unleash a flurry of questions for me, but a small “Ahem” caused our attention to be shifted behind us. The source of that cough could be traced back to another girl who was staring right at us, namely Daisuke.  
  
Her hair was long, wavy and a dark blonde, her eyes matching her hair but with a lighter color, and she was wearing the Yasogami High uniform, but she had opted to also wear a choker and turtleneck under her uniform, complete with long white leggings. I could feel her projecting a slight aura of haughtiness and impatience as she bore her gaze into Daisuke’s skull.  
  
“Nagase,” she began. “I see Kou-kun isn’t with you today?” Her voice was very “matter-of-factly”, her question coming out more like an observation than anything.  
  
Daisuke, for his part, looked at the girl with an annoyed grimace. “Does it look like it, Ebihara?” he asked sarcastically, his tone not so much ice-cold as it was below zero.  
  
Ebihara pursed her lips as she crossed her arms. “I was just asking because I needed to talk with him about something, there’s really no need for this, not today.”  
  
“Well, I dunno where he is,” Daisuke shrugged. “He never showed up at school today and after seven, he didn’t answer any text or calls. Happy now?”  
  
Ebihara certainly looked like she wanted to say something, but she just sighed. “Whatever. It was pointless talking to you. I guess I’ll just have to wait till tomorrow.” With a flip of her hair, Ebihara began walking right past Daisuke and right past the three of us, acting as if we weren’t worthy of being acknowledged, though I could swear I noticed her give a particularly dirty look towards Chie.  
  
“Jeez… talk about cold shoulders, huh?” Chie sighed, rolling her eyes as Ebihara walked past the gate. “Guess Ebihara hasn’t changed much over the break, huh?”  
  
“Ebihara?” I asked. “Sorry for the dumb question, but who’s she?”  
  
“Ai Ebihara, she’s one of the more popular girls here,” Chie explained. “She’s also been the manager for the basketball team since last fall if I’m right, but I think she’s only there because she has an attendance problem. She’s almost as popular as Yukiko actually.”  
  
Yukiko shifted uncomfortably at the mention of popularity, keeping her gaze to the ground. “Chie… please…”  
  
“Sorry, sorry,” Chie chuckled. “Well, let’s not worry about her right now, why don’t we just-”  
  
“About that,” Daisuke interjected. “Sorry, but I think I’m gonna head home after all.” Compared to his earlier friendly demeanor, Daisuke definitely seemed a bit more reserved and distant. Guess there was some bad blood between him and Ebihara?  
  
“You sure, Daisuke-kun?” Chie asked, looking a touch worried. “We wouldn’t mind the company, really.”  
  
Daisuke shook his head, his demeanor from earlier having completely turned on its head. “I’ll be fine, Satonaka,” he said, looking a touch annoyed. “I’ll just make a quick stop by Kou’s house to see if he’s sick or something. Later.”  
  
And now Daisuke had walked off, leaving me well and truly alone with Chie and Yukiko. Now one thing to keep mind was that I hadn't really talked with girls back home, let alone girls from another country, so I was just a tiny bit nervous. But I tried to not let it show on my face, or show any sign of weakness really.  
  
“Welp,” Chie said, shrugging. “Guess it’s just us today.” She turned to me with a smile and nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t try to keep you busy with too many questions.”  
  
That sounded almost distinctly like a lie, but I wasn’t about to try and argue with Chie. Besides, it was probably better than walking home alone in case something did happen. Safety in numbers after all. So we walked, passing right by the gate and just in time to see someone else walking up to the gate. No… scratch that, walking up to Yukiko.  
  
His uniform wasn’t the Yasogami one, in fact his uniform resembled a business suit when I looked at it. Short black hair, a mole under his left eye, a… very off-putting set of fishlike eyes and a mouth to match. You could be forgiven for assuming he was just a fish in a human flesh disguise, to be honest.   
  
“Y-You’re Yuki, right? Y-You wanna go hang out somewhere?” His voice was shaky, uneven with a low, creepy monotone. Given Yukiko’s perplexed look, I had to assume she had no idea who this guy was, or why he was asking her out. So, we were dealing with a stalker. Lovely.  
  
“W-What?” Yukiko stammered. “Who are you?”  
  
At that moment, a very small crowd began forming behind the three of us, some seemed curious about who this guy was, considering his unfamiliar uniform. Others seemed outright amused by the sheer courage of this stranger for asking Yukiko out like this, even taking bets on what would happen. Predictably, the stranger seemed unprepared for dealing with an audience like this.  
  
“U-Um… so, are you coming or not?” the strange student demanded, clearly uncomfortable by the attention he was getting from this.  
  
“I’m… not going…” Yukiko shook her head, taking a clear step back from this stranger. That seemed to set him off though, as his face broke into an angry scowl.  
  
“...Fine!” he screamed, storming down the street and away from the school. A few laughs could be heard from the onlookers as Yukiko just sighed.  
  
“W-What did he want with me…” she mumbled, leaving me utterly dumbfounded by her obliviousness.  
  
“Uh, Yukiko-san? I’m pretty sure he was asking you out on a date…” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.  
  
Yukiko blinked once before widening her eyes in realization. “Ohhh…” she hummed. “I… didn’t realize, I guess... I’m sorry, it’s been a rather hectic last few days for me…”  
  
“No, no need to apologize, Yukiko!” Chie said. “Besides, it _was_ pretty darn creepy how he just called you ‘Yuki’ all of a sudden.”  
  
Suddenly, another interruption caught my attention. Namely the squeaking of bicycle wheels that belonged to none other than Yosuke, having nursed his bruised groin back to full health it seemed. “Yo, Yukiko-san. Turned down another love-lorn fool, huh?” He chuckled. “Man you’re cruel, you got me the same way last year.”  
  
Yukiko’s face was as blank as a rock. “I don’t recall doing that.”  
  
For just a moment, Yosuke’s face lit up in excitement, like his parents had just said they were getting him a puppy for Christmas. “Whoa, you’re serious? So then, you wanna hang out sometime?!”  
  
“...I’d rather not.”  
  
Turns out the puppy was actually just a chemistry textbook.  
  
“That’ll teach me to get my hopes up…” Yosuke bemoaned. To his credit however, Yosuke didn’t really seem to take it personally, like he was expecting something like this. He quickly shook off his faux depression and hopped onto his bike seat. “Anyway, you two better not pick on the transfer student too much, yeah?”  
  
Chie fumbled over her words as Yosuke rode off a smile and a wave, before finally finding her words. “C-Come on! We’re just curious is all!”  
  
“He… definitely recovered quickly from that kick of yours, Satonaka…” I mused.  
  
For once, Chie actually didn’t have anything to say.

* * *

My first impressions of Chie Satonaka? Excitable, extroverted and going by what happened to Yosuke, just a touch petty when it came to her movies. But I wouldn’t say she was unpleasant to be around. She had that kind of way of making you smile in the most dumb of ways sometimes. Though she could be a bit nosy, especially when it came to her asking why I had come to Inaba, especially when Japan had English speaking schools. It wasn’t like I could just say that my mom and dad had just gotten a divorce, now could I? So, what was the best course of action? Deflection and half-truths, of course! Wasn’t like I was just gonna give everyone my life’s story when I met them.  
  
“Well… I guess you could say my family’s going through something of a stint at the moment, and my mom just thought it would be good for me to stay in her hometown for now.” I looked at Chie as the three of us walked past some nearby hills.  
  
“Huh,” she remarked. “Well, it’s good you got some family here, but I figured you’d wanna stay in Tokyo or something.” Her gaze turned to the nearby hills as she sighed wistfully. “There’s just not a whole lot we can really show to someone from the city, let alone from outside the country, y’know?”  
  
“Don’t even worry about it,” I smiled. “Compared to the hustle and bustle of Miami, Inaba is a good change of pace, King Moron’s lectures aside.” Especially compared to the drama that I left behind.  
  
“If you say so,” Chie nodded. “By the way, about your Japanese?” I turned to Chie again, raising an eyebrow. “I’m kinda surprised it’s that good, did someone teach you?”  
  
I nodded. “Yeah, my mom. I’m actually half-Japanese on my mom’s side, so she ended up teaching me how to speak it, and it just kinda came naturally to me. I’m not perfect though, sometimes I have some real trouble reading certain kanji, so don’t be surprised if I make any mistakes when it comes to reading signs or the like.”  
  
“No worries!” Chie smiled, before her face lit up in realization. “Oh wait a second, I almost forgot, we do have something special! The Amagi Inn, run by Yukiko’s family! It’s the pride of Inaba!”  
  
Yukiko Amagi could certainly be summed up as the opposite of Chie. As far as I have known her today, she seemed far more introverted compared to her friend, and considerably less cheerful. In fact, I’d go as far to say that she seemed almost entirely gloomy.  
  
“I-It’s just an old inn…” Yukiko murmured, doing her utmost to not make eye contact with either of us.  
  
“Oh, no way!” Chie said. “It’s been in all sorts of magazines as a hidden treasure! Yukiko’s family’s been running the inn for generations, and she’ll be taking over some day! The inn actually attracts a lot of visitors, so it’s basically what keeps this town running.”  
  
So a town that relied on tourism? I definitely understood the feeling, growing up in Florida. Tourism was one of our big money makers, mainly thanks to the House of Mouse. Though how fancy could this inn be to be able to keep an entire town up and running?  
  
“Okay, Nathan-kun, you gotta be honest with on something.” Chie’s smile became just a hint more impish as she turned to me again. “You think Yukiko’s pretty cute, huh?”  
  
If I had a drink, this would be the part where I sputtered it out in shock. How exactly do you prepare for something like that, especially when, from your perspective, Yukiko actually was pretty cute? Well, I know I couldn’t, so I just stood there, feeling a hint of color rush to my cheeks and ears.  
  
“W-Whoa! Are you blushing?” Chie snickered. I was such a fucking loser.  
  
“C’mon, Chie, please don’t start this again…” Yukiko said, facepalming. I’m guessing this wasn’t the first time this happened.  
  
“Sorry, sorry!” Chie certainly didn’t seem all that sorry. “But this is our chance to talk with someone from an entirely different country, and you’ve barely said a word, Yukiko! I was just trying to spark a little conversation, that’s all!”  
  
I did my best to try and ignore Chie’s comments and murder my blush, yet embarrassment wasn’t so easily slain. But at that moment, I looked up to find… police tape? Along with a crowd. “What the…?” I said, approaching the crowd cautiously, followed by Yukiko and Chie.  
  
“Hmm, what’s up Nathan-kun?” I heard Chie ask. I said nothing, stopping just outside the barrier to overhear a conversation between two women.  
  
“So… that high schooler left early today, and as he was walking down this street…” one of them spoke in a hushed whisper.  
  
“I still can’t believe it!” the other woman exclaimed. “I mean, a dead body hanging from an antenna? Who does things like that?!”  
  
The three of us froze in our tracks, I felt my breath hitch just a bit from the mere idea. Did I hear her right? I tried to rack my brain, to try and come up with some sort of response, but Chie had my back in that regard.  
  
“Wait, what did she just say?! A dead body?!”  
  
“Hey, you three! What’re you doing here?”  
  
A familiar voice cut through the gossip and panic as Dojima stepped through the crowd over the barrier. The bags under his eyes indicated that, of course, he hadn’t gotten much sleep at all, and was probably only running thanks to some heavy caffeine going through his veins.  
  
“Sorry, Uncle Dojima,” I apologized, quickly regaining my senses. “We were just passing through, we didn’t mean to bother you.”  
  
Dojjima sighed, shaking his head. “Should’ve figured it would have happened. Damn principal… we told him not to let any students through here…”  
  
Chie blinked as she looked at Dojima and back to me. “Wait, Nathan-kun, you know this guy?”  
  
“Yeah,” I nodded. “He’s my uncle.”  
  
“I’m Detective Dojima, his guardian,” Dojima explained, struggling to find any appropriate words to use, given the current situation. “Uh… well… How do I say this? I… hope you get along with him.”  
  
“Ugh…” came the voice of another plainclothes officer, his face as green as a head of cabbage. “God, that’s the last time I ever wanna handle a corpse… shit, I nearly puked.”  
  
“Adachi!” Dojima barked. “How long are you gonna act like a rookie?! You want to be sent back to the central office?!”  
  
‘Adachi’ waved apologetically, trying to regain his balance and not vomit out his lunch. “S-Sorry, sir…”  
  
“Ugh…” Dojima groaned. Evidently this wasn’t the first time he had to deal with this guy. “Go wash your face if you need to. We still need to canvas the surrounding area.”  
  
With a simple salute, Adachi was off to the races, heading back over the police barricade as Dojima turned to the rest of us. “At any rate, you three need to head straight home, is that understood?”  
  
“Y-Yeah,” Chie nodded frantically. “We’ll do just that, sir! Besides, I think Junes can wait until tomorrow, right Yukiko?”  
  
Yukiko zoned out for just a second, before nodding her head. “R-Right, I think we can do that,” she said.  
  
Turning to me, Chie gave a shaky smile as she fought to catch her breath. “Right… well, starting tomorrow, let’s all do our best at school, okay, Nathan-kun? Stay safe!” With that, she and Yukiko hurried off in what I assumed was the direction of their homes.  
  
“One last thing,” Dojima said, causing me to turn around. “Could you… let Nanako know I’ll be late again?” There was that dejected sigh again, a sigh that he shared with his daughter. These late nights weren’t just a strain on poor Nanako, they seemed to be taking a toll on Dojima as well. It definitely came with being a police officer, but I still felt bad for Nanako not being able to see her father more often.  
  
Now that was something I could definitely relate to.  
  
“Don’t worry, I’ll do just that,” I smiled, which caused Dojima to smile slightly in return.  
  
“Thanks, Nathan,” he nodded. “Now hurry home, and be careful, you hear me?”

No need to tell me twice, uncle. As I hurried away from whatever the hell happened, I could already tell one thing was certain. Any ideas of a relaxing, uneventful year in Inaba had just been thrown out of the window. Now if only I had known just had batshit everything was about to get...


End file.
